The Chilean miner who jogged in the tunnels while trapped underground not only will attend Sunday's New York City marathon – he wants to run it.

Marathon officials had invited Edison Peña to watch the race after hearing his story when the miners were rescued last month. They thought he could ride in the lead vehicle or hold the finish line tape, but never expected the Chilean consulate to tell them that Peña wanted to run.

"He absolutely, 100% wants to participate," the New York Road Runners president, Mary Wittenberg, said on Monday.

Marathon organisers were working to arrange Peña travel to New York and decide exactly how to best honour him.

Peña was one of the 33 miners who were trapped for 69 days after a collapse stranded them nearly 800m underground. Marathon officials had been in contact with the consulate since the rescue, and last week they received word that Peña had accepted their invitation to attend.

Then came Monday's news that Peña wasn't content to just be an observer.